| Time |
Description |
| 8:30 - 9:15 am |
Registration and Networking Breakfast |
| 9:15 - 9:30 am |
Welcome Attendees & Host Student Chapter Welcome
Sarah Reuter, WI SHRM College Relations Director and
Jeff Palkowski, MHRM, SHRM-SCP, PHR, PMQ, WI SHRM State Director |
| 9:30 - 10:30 am |
From Student to Professional: Successfully Navigating Shifting Expectations
Speaker: Joshua Knapp and Melissa Driekosen
Transitioning from college into the professional world can feel exciting—and overwhelming. The expectations placed on new professionals look very different from those in the classroom, and understanding these shifts early can make the difference between simply surviving and truly thriving in the first year of a career.
This session will explore the realities of moving from student life into the workplace, highlighting how expectations evolve around communication, responsibility, initiative, accountability, and professional identity. Participants will learn what employers look for in emerging HR professionals, what skills are most critical during the first year on the job, and how to build confidence and credibility quickly.
Through real-world insights, practical examples, and interactive discussion, students and early career professionals will gain a clearer understanding of how to navigate this transition with success, professionalism, and purpose.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Differentiate between academic expectations and professional workplace expectations, including communication style, accountability, time management, and workflow processes.
2. Identify the key competencies employers expect from early career HR professionals, such as initiative, adaptability, critical thinking, and professional judgment.
3. Demonstrate strategies for building professional credibility during the first year on the job through effective communication, relationship building, and personal responsibility.
4. Recognize common challenges students face when transitioning into professional roles—and apply practical techniques to navigate them with confidence.
5. Develop a personalized action plan to prepare for workplace success, including refining professional behaviors, strengthening soft skills, and proactively addressing expectation shifts. |
| 10:30 - 11:15 am |
From Options to Offers: How to negotiate Your Way into the Right HR Role
Speaker: Dale Feinauer
This session will focus on three aspects of the job search/negotiation process. First, we will discuss how to manage multiple job options. This will include how to evaluate multiple options and how to manage interactions with multiple potential employers. Next, we will focus on the nature of employment negotiation; with a focus on why this negotiation is relationship focused. Finally, we will discuss the logistics of making a counteroffer.
Learning Objectives
1. How to manage multiple job options/offers.
2. Why job negotiation is relationship focused – not just about the money.
3. How to manage offer negotiation. |
| 11:15 - 11:30 am |
Break |
| 11:30 - 12:15 pm |
Integrity in Transition: How to Vet Employers for Value Alignment
Speaker: Todd Kuckkahn
College graduates often focus on landing the first job offer—but the real key to long-term career success is understanding personal core values and how they align with an organization’s culture. In this interactive session, leadership and workplace culture expert Todd Kuckkahn guides students through a practical process for identifying their personal core values and evaluating how those values align with potential employers. Drawing from his Elev8 Workplace Engagement framework, participants will explore how values shape decision-making, workplace relationships, and long-term career satisfaction.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify Personal Core Values
Participants will identify and prioritize their personal core values and understand how those values influence decisions, behavior, and leadership style.
2. Evaluate Organizational Culture
Participants will learn how to assess a company’s stated values, culture, and leadership behaviors to determine whether the organization aligns with their personal values.
3. Apply Values to Career Decisions
Participants will develop practical strategies for using their core values when evaluating job opportunities, asking interview questions, and choosing employers where they can grow and succeed.
|
| 12:15 - 1:00 pm |
Networking Lunch |
| 1:00 - 1:45 pm |
The Engagement Lab: Role-Based Problem Solving With Real Workplace Data
Speakers: Sarah Reuter, College Relations Director, Jeff Palkowski, State Director and Sheree Yates, Core Leadership Area Director
The Engagement Lab: Role‑Based Problem Solving With Real Workplace Data is an interactive, scenario‑based learning experience where students analyze real‑world employee engagement survey data and collaboratively design actionable improvement strategies. All student teams receive the same data set, but each group is assigned a unique workplace perspective.
By adopting these different viewpoints, students learn how organizational roles shape how problems are perceived and which solutions are prioritized. The activity simulates a modern workplace challenge: using employee voice data to create meaningful, equitable, and feasible action plans that improve culture, communication, and performance.
The session concludes with teams presenting their action items and reflecting on the complexities of balancing diverse needs within an organization.
Learning Objectives:
1. Interpret Employee Engagement Data
Identify key themes, strengths, and areas needing improvement within survey results.Distinguish between symptoms and root causes of employee sentiment.
2. Apply Role-Based Organizational Perspectives
Analyze workplace data through the lens of a specific stakeholder group.Understand how priorities differ between leadership, employees, and support functions.
3. Develop Strategic, Actionable Solutions
Create targeted action items grounded in data, not assumptions.
Prioritize solutions based on feasibility, impact, and organizational alignment.
4. Communicate and Justify Recommendations
Present action plans clearly and persuasively. Support recommendations with evidence from the engagement data.
5. Strengthen Collaboration and Critical Thinking
Engage in structured group discussions to evaluate ideas.
Navigate differing viewpoints to reach consensus on meaningful action.
6. Connect Engagement Insights to Workplace Culture
Understand how employee feedback influences morale, retention, leadership effectiveness, and organizational outcomes.
Recognize the importance of continuous listening and follow-through in building trust. |
| 1:45 - 2:30 pm |
Shine Like A STAR: Mastering Behavioral Interview Questions
Speaker: Uma Kedharnath
In today’s competitive hiring landscape, employers want more than strong resumes—they want clear, compelling stories that demonstrate how you think, act, and solve problems. Shine Like A STAR is an engaging, hands-on workshop designed to help you confidently tackle behavioral interview questions using the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
In this applied session, participants will identify a future role they aspire to and work backward to envision the real-world challenges and opportunities that might arise in that position. Through guided activities, group discussion, and structured practice, you’ll learn how to transform your experiences into strategic, memorable interview responses. By the end of the workshop, you’ll walk away with several refined STAR stories tailored to the job you want—and the confidence to deliver them with clarity and impact.
The goal of this applied workshop is for participants to prepare to interview for a job they’d like to hold someday. We’ll use the Situation, Task, Action, and Result (STAR) format to envision the kinds of situations that will likely happen in a job, and prepare behavioral responses for interview questions |
| 2:30 - 3:15 pm |
Prompts for Success: How to Use AI to Support Your Transition from Student to Professional
Speaker: Katy Smith
This session equips students with practical strategies for using AI tools—such as Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and other generative technologies—to strengthen their transition from the classroom into the professional world. Participants explore how AI can act as a career readiness partner, helping them communicate more effectively, analyze and match their qualifications to entry-level HR roles, and draft high quality professional documents, such as resumes and cover letters. Through guided examples and hands-on prompt writing, students learn how to design effective prompts, evaluate AI generated output, and apply these tools ethically and responsibly. By the end of the session, students will understand how AI can support their growth, amplify their skills, and give them a competitive edge as emerging professionals.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Describe what generative AI is and explain its role in professional communication, career exploration, and workplace productivity.
2. Identify ethical considerations and responsible-use guidelines for applying AI in academic and professional settings.
3. Develop effective prompts that produce accurate, relevant, and targeted AI generated output for résumés, cover letters, emails, and portfolio materials.
4. Apply AI tools to analyze job descriptions and extract key skills, qualifications, and keywords to improve application materials.
5. Use AI to refine professional writing—such as outreach messages, networking communications, and interview preparation questions—while maintaining personal voice and authenticity.
6. Evaluate AI generated results for accuracy, tone, and bias, and revise prompts to improve quality and usefulness.
7. Integrate AI as a supportive tool in daily workflows for productivity, planning, learning new skills, and staying organized during the transition to full time employment. |
| 3:15 - 3:30 pm |
Closing Remarks and Networking
Sarah Reuter, WI SHRM College Relations Director and
Jeff Palkowksi, MHRM, SHRM-SCP, PHR, PMQ, WI SHRM State Director |
